Today at Commission, Brexit talks and Balkan expansion

Before Monday’s European Commission midday press conference, Johannes Hahn, the commissioner in charge of enlargement, told reporters the EU will hold a series of meetings with leaders of Western Balkan countries in the coming days.

Hahn added that, despite an overall slowdown in accession talks, the Commission was willing to push for candidate countries to join the EU before 2019, when the mandate of the first Jean-Claude Juncker Commission comes to an end.

However the big news of the day was Brexit talks — and what’s going to happen in the wake of the U.K.’s chaotic election. The talks are scheduled to start on June 19.

Hahn and Commission spokesman Alexander Winterstein repeated the line that the EU was “ready” to negotiate and “is extremely interested in a good and reasonable outcome.” But Hahn added that the election was “not likely to simplify the discussions.”

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is expected to talk to the European commissioners on Tuesday in Strasbourg. Winterstein confirmed that Barnier’s team would on Monday meet with Oliver Robbins, a senior adviser to Theresa May.

Commission agenda

As well as a Brexit briefing, European commissioners in Strasbourg are expected to discuss the Eurogroup meeting on Thursday and present new market infrastructure regulation.

Expect some news on the migration front as commissioners are reviewing progress on the EU-Turkey agreement. They will also debate launching infringement procedures against some Eastern European countries — including Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic — for failing to respect EU rules on relocation and resettlement of refugees.